OBJECTIVETo study on CTA and MRI in the diagnosis and treatment of hemangioma in the limb skeletal muscles, and to explore therapeutic effects of surgical treatment.

METHODSFrom April 2003 to February 2011, 18 patients with intramuscular hemangioma in extremities were treated with surgical excision or dense circle suture method. Among the patients, 8 patients were male and 10 patients were female,ranging in age from 5 to 28 years, with an average of 12.5 years. The course of disease ranged from 1 to 5 years. The main symptoms included variable mass and pain, partly with repeated burst bleeding. Eighteen patients underwent MRI examination and 11 patients underwent CTA examination. The operative effects were evaluated by the mass changes, pain and recurrence.

RESULTSThere are 6 cases of upper limbs and 12 cases of lower limbs. All pathologic types of all patients with were vascular malformation, in which 13 with blood capillary malformation, 4 with vein malformation, and 1 with arteriovenous fistula malformation. All the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 6 months to 2 years,with a mean of 8.8 months. Fifteen patients got an excellent result, 2 good and 1 poor.

CONCLUSIONThe accordance rate of CTA and MRI in the diagnose of intramuscular hemangioma in skeletal muscle are high. CTA 3D stereo-anatomy imaging has a considerable value in choosing the optimal operative methods, protecting important blood vessel and disposing provision blood vessel. As to the preoperative determination of muscle invasive and the decision of operative method, MRI is more valuable than CTA.